dab
verb (used with object)
to pat or tap gently, as with something soft or moist.
dabbed
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past participleof dab.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
-
past tense formof dab.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
dabverb (used with object)to pat or tap gently, as with something soft or moist.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In the rear open kitchen, Manon Fleury turned humble winter produce into memorable dishes: Fried sweet-potato threads mimicked a mini funnel cake, dabbed with loquat jam.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 14, 2026
Afterwards Nawat appeared at a press conference wearing a tuxedo and openly weeping as he theatrically dabbed his eyes with a handkerchief, claiming he had been "betrayed".
From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2025
It was a buccaneering innings full of trademark shots square of the wicket as he cut, dabbed, pulled and effortlessly flicked his way to three figures.
From BBC ● Dec. 7, 2024
Unencumbered by her own directorial scheme, Elliott leans into the freedom of musical storytelling, a mode in which realism is dabbed on rather than studiously applied.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2024
She had a damp cloth in one hand, and with the other she turned his head this way and that, not roughly but firmly, while she dabbed at his face.
From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman
